THE DRUNK MONKEYS
TOP 10 TELEVISION SERIES OF 2019
10. JOHN MULANEY AND THE SACK LUNCH BUNCH
Image copyright Netflix
A love letter to the children’s shows of his childhood, The Sack Lunch Bunch is a concept which few comedians would attempt and at which even fewer would succeed. The specificity of the writing, as in Mulaney’s stand-up, sells the concept, and the underlying themes of the fear and anxiety of childhood (and adulthood) make the special certainly more resonant than any other musical featuring songs about plain noodles and butter and your grandma’s love life.
Matt Guerrero, Founding Editor
9. SCHITT’S CREEK
While watching the almost final season of Schitt’s Creek, I felt like I was on the verge of becoming an empty nester. All of my little Schitt’s Creek babies have grown up so fast and are making important life decisions.
After blessing us with an original song, Alexis announced she’s leaving. David got engaged (if you didn’t tear up, you’re a monster). And Johnny and Moira are finally one with Schitt’s Creek. While it’s sad to know we’re going into the final season, I’m happy to know that we’ve all been changed for the better—just by having them around.
Juliet Barney, Staff Writer
8. BOJACK HORSEMAN
Image copyright Netflix
The first half of the final season of Bojack Horseman has our eponymous equestrian working on himself in a rehab, trying to be the good person that even he doesn't believe he can be. But the best parts of these episodes don't focus on Bojack at all. From Princess Carolyn raising a baby to Diane confronting her depression with the support of a new partner, we realize that if and when Bojack's day of reckoning comes, his friends will come out on top. Check our episode 4 ("Surprise!"); it offers up some of the best comedy the show ever has.
Kolleen Carney-Hoepfner, Editor-in-chief
7. BARRY
Image copyright HBO
Barry is a comic masterpiece that keeps you rooting for a hitman. While the whole second season ebbs and flows between the darkness of the plot and the lightness of the characters, it peaks when we learn about Barry’s first kill and how he became emotionally attached to what came after.
You come back every episode to see if Barry will get caught, but you stay for the insanely powerful scenes: when Barry’s attacked by a feral child, Barry’s emotional breakthrough, and pretty much every scene with NoHo Hank.
Juliet Barney, Staff Writer
6. POSE
Image copyright FX
I was so relieved to see Pose back and stronger than ever, though the second season is much more emotionally devastating. AIDS, murder, racial discrimination and transphobia are major themes (Episode 4 is particularly difficult), but so is hope, survival, and love. Smartly, the show dropped the Evan Peters side story from season one to focus solely on Angel's own journey; Angel is my favorite, and I want only the best for her!
Kolleen Carney-Hoepfner, Editor-in-chief
5. GLOW
Image copyright Netflix
Possessing humor, heart, and one of the most pumped up intro sequences on Netflix, Glow is that rare jewel of a show where the viewer is instantly hooked into its world, and they never want it to end. Season 3 finds the gorgeous ladies of wrestling in the glitzy flash of peak 80s Las Vegas, in a key move that allows for many of the side characters to be explored more deeply this time around. While more plotlines ultimately make for a (slightly) less focused season, this only serves to highlight the characters overall attitude of dissatisfaction, and helps to address S3's central theme of, "What's next?". The soul of this series is such that you can't help but binge on it, and then start rewatching it once you reach the end. Season 4 has been announced and everyone should be very excited to see where this show goes.
Fritz Hoepfner, Prince Consort
4. I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE
Image copyright Netflix
A member of this masthead (who knows their sin, and has wisely reversed their opinion since) once claimed that this show was bad because its thesis is “yelling = funny.” Firstly, the show’s subject isn’t yelling. It’s nailing an interview for your dream job and being unfairly made to look a fool when you try to exit the room. It’s watching your OK Cupid date eat all of the good nachos off of the plate you bought and not knowing how to ask her to stop. It’s spontaneously coming up with a lore-rich folk-horror song and being told your more handsome friend’s pre-written derivative murder ballad is where the money’s at. It’s the seven billion tiny needles of everyday life, their cumulative wounds, and that cry of reaction you stuff back down every time their points sink in finally finding its way out. I Think You Should Leave is funny because it assures us how right we are when we think a thousand times at a party how stupid the social pressures are. It’s the salve on the burn that remains each time we’re the butt of a joke we don’t understand. It’s decadent fantasy fulfillment for anybody who has ever found themselves anxious about something they knew to be fundamentally absurd. And, secondly, yelling is funny, especially when it’s directed at that hilarious Chunky costume.
Chris Pruitt, Managing Editor
3. SUCCESSION
Image copyright HBO
Succession's first season brought us a dysfunctional family that half resembled the Murdochs and half resembled the inbred family from The X-Files episode "Home." Its strong first season earned it critical praise, but its second season stands out as a classic. Each episode tended to be set in a specific location, giving the hour an episodic feel, sometimes even a theatrical feel, despite contributing to an ongoing arc that comes to an emotional conclusion in the season's finale. Stacked with great actors, Succession is a powerhouse of a drama or, if you're so inclined, a very, very dark comedy. Its unsentimental view of the rich is a relief in a media spectrum that treats the wealthy as idols. The next time you think wealth comes from a meritocracy, just remember the failsons and faildaughters on Succession.
Donald McCarthy, Staff Writer
2. WATCHMEN
Image copyright HBO
Along with the Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, no series should have been resurrected from the 80s and be this fantastic. Occupying a timeline that is mostly after the events of Alan Moore's landmark graphic novel (and wisely not referencing events from the 2009 film adaptation), this series presents a story that feels so deeply in tune with the established universe, it's a wonder that Mr. Moore didn't have a hand in any of it. I haven't felt such a visceral rush of enjoying an HBO series since perhaps the first season of True Detective. Every aspect of this show, from the design of the new characters, to the representation of existing ones (with a special nod to the deranged joy that Jeremy Irons brings to Ozymandias), is satisfying. One of the best series of the year, in a year stuffed with quality content.
Fritz Hoepfner, Prince Consort
RUSSIAN DOLL
Image copyright Netflix
Russian Doll was presented as a sort of gritty Groundhog's Day, with Natasha Lyonne's Nadia repeating the night of her 36th birthday party over and over with dire results. Whip-smart and funny, with an incredible cast (Charlie Barnett is fantastic, and who isn't enchanted by Greta Lee's "Sweet Birthday Baby!!!" refrain?), Russian Doll is worth the binge.
Kolleen Carney-Hoepfner, Editor-in-chief
